Mission

The Birgit Lauda Art Foundation has been established as a non-profit organisation with the aim to support artists and to donate all its proceeds to the project "Women without Borders" by Dr. Edit Schlaffer. The Non-governmental organization "Women without Borders” is dedicated to the empowerment of women worldwide and focuses on preventing violent extremism, capacity building, gender based violence, female leadership, and fosters intercultural dialogue.

Over the past decade, the organisation has been strengthening local, national, and global security through its pioneering ‘MotherSchools: Parenting for Peace’ Model. This bottom-up security approach positions civil society to address the dangers of extremism while fostering dialogue between local stakeholders and global decision-makers. The model project "Mother Schools Against Extremism" serves to sensitize family members to the danger of radicalization and recruitment. MotherSchools have been piloted and implemented in Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kashmir, Macedonia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Tanzania.

The Birgit Lauda Art Foundation acts primarily as a supporter of the NGO by presenting works of international artists in regularly changing and curated exhibitions in their Kunstraum in Vienna, Austria. Alongside the exhibition programme, it offers a platform for discourse and exchange by hosting panel discussions, artist talks, performances and workshops.

The support and the close collaboration with the NGO as well as the promotion of international contemporary art is the core concern of the Birgit Lauda Art Foundation.

"Women Without Borders" is also supported by the internationally renowned social Entrepreneuer platform Ashoka. Ashoka and WwB are the only two organisations included in the funding program, that address urgent problems of society with an entrepreneurial spirit, revolutionise an entire sector with innovative solutions and make our society fit for the future. For over 30 years, Ashoka has been the world's leading social enterprise support organization, ensuring that donations reach their most sustainable and targeted destinations.